3 PS Plus games you should play this weekend (January 3-5)

By Tomas Franzese Published January 3, 2025

While 2025 has just begun, we already know about some of the biggest games coming to the PlayStation 5 this year. Ghost of Yotei, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, and Grand Theft Auto VI, in particular, stand out as potential defining PS5 releases for 2025 right now. Luckily for those of us who subscribed to PlayStation Plus Extra, the predecessors to all three of those games are available to play as part of the Sony game subscription service’s catalog. As such, those games make up my list of recommendations for new PS Plus Extra games to play to kick off the new year.

Sucker Punch Productions will release Ghost of Yotei later this year, giving us yet another open-world action-adventure game set in Japan. While it isn’t a direct sequel, I still think it’s a good idea to check out Ghost of Tsushima before playing Ghost of Yotei. Sucker Punch Productions’ last game instantly cemented Ghost as a new hallmark series for Sony; the enhanced Director’s Cut version of the game is still one of the best-looking titles that you can play on PS5. And while I’m not quite as fond of the story and gameplay compared to other games, if you enjoy games like Assassin’s Creed Mirage or Red Dead Redemption 2, then Ghost of Tsushima’s realistic open world will really immerse you. After playing Ghost of Tsushima, you’ll have a better understanding of the foundation that Ghost of Yotei will be building on and will more clearly see how it evolves and improves upon that formula.

The PS4 and PS5 versions of Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut are available to PS Plus Extra subscribers. It’s also on PC.

Hideo Kojima is also set to release a new game this year, which will be a sequel to his 2019 hit Death Stranding. The teasers for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach have already been mind-bending and pretty narratively confusing, so it’s a very good idea to get a refresher on Death Stranding’s lore before checking out the sequel. Obviously, the best way to do that is by playing the first game, and both the PS4 version of Death Stranding and the enhanced and expanded Director’s Cut PS5 remaster of the game are available through PS Plus Extra. While its mix of survival horror and package-transporting gameplay isn’t for everyone, Death Stranding still stands as a wildly creative interactive experience that you can’t get from anywhere other than the mind of Hideo Kojima.

Death Stranding for PS4 and Death Stranding: Director’s Cut for PS5 are both available to PS Plus Extra subscribers. Death Stranding: Director’s Cut is also available on PC and Xbox Series X/S.

Grand Theft Auto VI is one of the most anticipated games of all time, and it’s expected to launch sometime this fall. While there’s a good chance you’ve already played its predecessor, Grand Theft Auto V, you do have a chance to check it out again right now as it’s available as part of the PS Plus Extra game catalog. GTA V still sports an entertaining open-world sandbox to house its compelling single-player adventure. GTA Online has also evolved into an expansive beast of its own and a live service experience to rival the likes of Fortnite and Call of Duty. GTA feels like such a monolith in the video game industry that we take it for granted, so it’s worth playing through GTA V’s story again ahead of the release of the launch of GTA 6.

Grand Theft Auto V is available as part of the PS Plus Extra Game Catalog on PS4 and PS5. It’s also on PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.